By Matthew Witteman – Social Media Editor

Mr. McPartland is a Spanish teacher at Jonathan Law. Advocate Social Media Editor Matthew Witteman interviewed McPartland about his classes this year.

Matthew Witteman: What do you like most about teaching Spanish?

Mr. McPartland: I think I most enjoy helping students realize their potential. I also very much enjoy helping students learn about other cultures. As soon as things start to click, it’s pretty cool to see the reaction on students’ faces.

MW: What challenges do you face when teaching Spanish to students?

MM: One of the biggest challenges is getting students to overcome their fear of being wrong and sounding silly in front of their friends. Students will often be wrong when learning a language and that’s OK.

MW: What inspired you to become a Spanish teacher?

MM: I’ve grown up working around kids and always had the idea that I would become a teacher. My best friend growing up was from the Dominican Republic, which made the idea of one day being able to interact with and converse with him and people who speak Spanish very interesting.

MW: What is your favorite activity or lesson to teach in Spanish class?

MM: My favorite activity to teach in Spanish class is really anything that gets my students up and moving around. We do a dictation activity that requires students to use all four modes of communication – listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

MW: What is something you hope students take away from your class?

MM: Ultimately, I hope my students understand the importance of being a good person, of being respectful, of helping others. I hope students understand how lucky they are to attend Jonathan Law and that by learning about other people and cultures, we ultimately learn a lot about ourselves.